The White House states that any IRS actions regarding Harvard's tax-exempt status will be independent of Trump's influence and were initiated before his public call.

The Prediction in Context

Source: www.theguardian.com

Federal law prohibits the president from directing the IRS to conduct an investigation or audit, and no evidence has yet emerged that the university has done anything to lose its tax-exempt status. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told US media "any forthcoming actions by the IRS are conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution's violations of their tax status were initiated prior to" Trump's public call for the status to be revoked.